Why is Canadian English unique?
1–10 of 52 posts
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#2>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave.
What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians are "loyal" to the queen, and by necessary implication that french-canadians are not, is downright silly. The queen is a total irrelevance in Canada.
Canada does not take from Britain in some sort of protest against American culture. American culture IS canadian. Music, television, film, comedy ... canadians are everywhere in the US entertainment industry. But look to the UK, to the BBC, and you won't find any.
>> ...poutine, Nanaimo bars, and butter tarts for three of Canada’s great culinary gifts to the world if the world would but accept them
WTF? Maple syrup doesn't make the list? What other country has a strategic syrup reserve.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-look-inside-q...
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#3>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
Aw, that's a bit rough. It's a decent article. It talks a lot about the Loyalists, so that's probably what that first passage you object to was referencing.
> WTF? Maple syrup doesn't make the list?
This must be the first maple syrup WTF on Hacker News, though I bet many were uttered after the great maple syrup heist a few years ago.
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#4>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
Aw, that's a bit rough. It's a decent article. It talks a lot about the Loyalists, so that's probably what that first passage you object to was referencing. > WTF? Maple syrup doesn't make the list? This must be the first maple syrup WTF on Hacker News, though I bet many were uttered after the great maple syrup heist a few years ago.
> the first maple-syrup WTF on Hacker News
I actually checked and yes, if Google can be trusted then it is.
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#5>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
I think the sentence is actually making a reference back to the loyalists which it mentions near the beginning of the article as well. It is talking about Canadians and not Canada. The loyalists did indeed leave what was then known as the 12 colonies so that they could remain loyal to the crown. The sentence is ignoring nuance (like the fact that Canada is made up of more than just loyalists) so it can make a rhetorically amusing point.
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#6>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
>The queen is a total irrelevance in Canada.
Maybe, but new Canadians still have to swear loyalty to the Queen in the citizenship ceremony.
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#7>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
It was a light-hearted article, but the maple syrup issue made me wonder, so I (unbelievably) did some checking.
The quote about "poutine, Nanaimo bars, and butter tarts" was in the context of "Some words refer to things Americans don’t seem to have:".
But apparently Americans do have maple syrup: "Vermont is the largest producer in the United States, generating about 5.5 percent of the global supply" [1]. Vermont apparently produces more maple syrup than Ontario [2].
Anyway, the majority of maple syrup comes from Quebec, but does it really count as a culinary gift of Canada? Apparently maple syrup is a First Nations' culinary gift that existed before Europeans settlers arrived [3].
On the other hand, recipes for poutine and Nanaimo bars date only as far back as the 1950s, and butter tarts to 1900 (says Wikipedia). For context, consider that Canada became a country in 1867.
So I guess it does make some sense for maple syrup not to make the list.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup [2] http://www.maplesyrupworld.com/pages/Top-Regions-Producers-o... [3] https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/syru...
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#8>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
>> But look to the UK, to the BBC, and you won't find any
I see a few. Comedians Stewart Francis and Katherine Ryan are regulars on panel shows and DJs Heidi and B-traits present shows on BBC Radio 1. It may not be that many but I enjoy the ones that are here!
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#9>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
>The queen is a total irrelevance in Canada. Maybe, but new Canadians still have to swear loyalty to the Queen in the citizenship ceremony.
What about the Canadian armed forces?
Re: Why is Canadian English unique?
#10>> Though English-speaking Canadians remain loyal to the Queen, they aren’t truly interested in being British or sounding British; they’re just interested in using the British connection to assert their independence from the independent United States, which they left because they didn’t want to leave. What horrible highschool textbook is this from? When did Canada separate from the US? And to say english Canadians ar…
It was a light-hearted article, but the maple syrup issue made me wonder, so I (unbelievably) did some checking. The quote about "poutine, Nanaimo bars, and butter tarts" was in the context of "Some words refer to things Americans don’t seem to have:". But apparently Americans do have maple syrup: "Vermont is the largest producer in the United States, generating about 5.5 percent of the global supply" [1]. Vermont ap…
Right, maple syrup goes back to colonial times, and we still make enough in Michigan that with a little effort you can always buy locally produced.
At least some Michiganders say "eh", too -- my impression is it is especially common in the UP. It's not at all surprising, the border here has been pretty porous for centuries. When I was a kid, we'd have to cross over to Canada for Chinese food or hard-packed ice cream cones...